sandy. >> and we've got a pacific storm making its way into the bay area later today. we'll time it out to a tee at your doorstep. plus two incidents to tell you about and an update on b.a.r.t. delays as well. sun coming up over the bay area as we take a live look outside over san francisco. look at that flag billowing in the wind. it is thursday, november 8th. this is "today in the bay." good morning to you and thanks for joining us. i'm laura garcia-cannon. >> and i'm jon kelley. good morning, everybody. yes, you may have noticed, maybe you haven't, we're waking up with a little bit of a chill in the air this morning and rain trau drops will soon be falling on our heads. let's check in with meteorologist christina loren. good morning. >> good morning to you. ahead of the front we have very gusty winds starting to pick up all across the bay area which could make for a dangerous drive if you're not aware of what you're getting into before you

head in your vehicle. west-southwest winds sustained at 16 miles an hour in livermore, 13 at concord, and some strong winds in oakland as well. west at 21 miles per hour. now, we're still about 6 to 8 hours away from rain, but it is going to move in quickly so you want to grab your umbrella. right now the front draped across eureka in the northernmost portion of the state. as we head through noon, starting to get your first showers. your full forecast coming up in a few moments. right now back to you and today's top stories. new this morning, evacuation orders have just been lifted at a popular hotel on the peninsula. hundreds of guests at the embassy suites in burlg game were forced out because of a carbon monoxide leak. that's where bob redell joins us live with what we've learned from the fire crews at the scene. good morning, bob. >> reporter: good morning to you, laura. yes, that evacuation order lifted ban hour and a half ago. everything is back to normal at this embassy suites hotel by sfo. the danger is over, the guests are now back in their room.

now, this was the scene very early this morning when the fire department, hazmat and the public health department evacuated everyone in this hotel. it was a little bit after 1:00 this morning. we're talking about 400 to 500 people. this after dangerous levels of carbon monoxide were detected in parts of the hotel. what makes co so dangerous is that it is colorless, odorless and it can kill you and only be detected with an air sampler. the fire department was able to trace the source to a malfunctioning boiler inside the hotel. they did turn it off while guests stood outside waiting for the gas to dissipate out of their rooms. >> at about probably 1:00, 1:15 or so the fire alarms went off in the hotel. at first i thought maybe somebody tripped the alarm or whatever. probably about 15 minutes later, the police department came on the loudspeakers and said that there was a -- they had to evacuate the building. >> asleep and just woke up. they did a great job inside, evacuated everything.

we've just been waiting and we're leaving now. >> reporter: no one was hurt, no one got sick from the co release. what's not clear is how the fire department knew how to test for co. was this a co alarm or was it related to a medical carl they incidentally responded to at this hotel earlier in the evening. bob redell, "today in the bay." in san jose, police have reopened several streets near the matrix casino after finding a pipe bomb inside of a car. police were just making a routine traffic stop around 9 :00 last night when they noticed a suspicious package inside of a car. a bomb squad came in and determined it was in fact a live bomb. they worked on this one and detonated it. police arrested one man at the scene. although the bomb was very close to the casino, no evacuations were ordered and nobody was hurt. the man in jail accused of gunning down a well-known east palo alto community activist can

soon be set free. a judge dismissed the murder charge against gregory el racar >> lewis' mother says she doesn't know why he killed her son. the two were childhood friends. >> i would like to see justice done. i would like to see him spend his time in prison. >> he is still in jail this morning on an unrelated charge. san mateo county d.a. will now decide whether to refile the murder charge or appeal the judge's decision. in the meantime still no verdict in the trial of a san francisco man accused of three violent sexual assault in the mission district. frederick dozier is accused of

attacking three women and dragging them to secluded areas to assault them. he was arrested in january after investigators matched his dna to evidence from the crime scenes. jared loughner, the man who plead guilty to shooting congresswoman gabby giffords and 18 others will be sentenced today in tucson. six people were killed in january of 2011 and 13 wounded including giffords who suffered a gunshot to the head. according to the terms of the plea agreement, loughner will receive a life sentence without the possibility of parole. he has been undergoing psychological treatment at a missouri prison facility. gusty winds, rain, snow and threat of flooding all over again. we've got a live look at staten island this morning as the east coast hit with a nor'easter storm. marla tellez joins us in studio with new pictures and so many horror stories. >> reporter: talk about adding insult to injury, warming

shelters are being set up in new york and new jersey and this is where people are going just to keep from freezing. it's because once again they are in the dark inside while rain and snow fall outside, depending on where they are. in new jersey, where 400,000 homes are without power, there are new concerns for flooding. no new york city, 70,000 households are struggling without electricity. don't forget the winds. this nor'easter bringing 60-mile-an-hour gusts to communities trying to regain some sense of normalcy after being devastated by sandy. >> cold! very cold. you sleep at night with blankets and socks and everything else on. and it's just horrible. >> it's overwhelming. >> reporter: and the roads in connecticut are overwhelmed with white today. 3 to 6 inches fell there, so travel is iffy. in fact air travel is out of the question at several major airports and this means cancellations here in the bay

area. almost a dozen arriving flights supposed to arrive at sfo from the east coast are cancelled and so far just a single flight bound for new york is cancelled. some good news as the bulk of the storm is over and according to our meelteorologist christin loren the east coast is expected to warm up and dry out in the coming days. >> wish we could say the same thing about us. >> a little crispy when i walked out this morning. kind of cool. christina loren says you might want to dress warmly, get ready for rain. she's here to tell us about it. >> good morning, you're making me hungry this morning. temperatures are crisp out there. we have 50s, couple 40s out there, but the winds are making it feel even cooler. west-southwest winds sustained at 16 miles per hour. 21 in oakland, 11 in fairfield and we're starting to see the winds pick up in the south bay as well as the front starts to push in. we're not expecting our first showers until 11:00 a.m. and mostly north of the golden gate bridge at that time. the system will sag to the south

about noon getting our first showers from san francisco to oakland. then we stop the clock at 1:00 p.m. the heaviest rain coming through between 1:00 and 4:00 here in the south bay. highs will be cool nenough for jacket all day. 58 inland today, 57 by the bay and not much of a temperature spread at the coast today. only by about 2 degrees of warming, from 54 to 56 degrees in the heat of the day. we'll continue to see these showers tomorrow and continue to track that for you, an we're talking about our first potential frost of the season. telling you exactly when in my next report. first let's get a report on the roads with mike inouye. >> this is the bay bridge toll plaza. the metering lights were turned on a few minutes early today because of reports of a stalled vehicle over on the far right as you're heading through the toll plaza. now, i've been watching this, all lanes are moving through the area and we do see traffic start to move more smoothly across the

incline. our live camera shows you that. the stream of red lights heading up toward treasure island. it's very crowded but the metering lights keep things well spaced. the map will show you there is a backup toward treasure island but the east shore freeway holds up just fine. the south bay, the commute is on for northbound 101 and north 87. we'll outline this. the first burst sticking around. speeds into the 40s and 50s where you see the orange there. a live look outside we'll show you the san mateo bridge. 92 picks up that westbound direction with those headlights. the construction not causing any problems over at the 92 to north 101 interchange. pretty smooth. back to you. it's 6:09. coming up, did your vote come with a money-back guarantee? we'll tell you why students will start the spring semester with a couple hundred bucks in their

pockets. and more than half the voters said yes to measure q in contra costa county but it wasn't enough and that means fire stations will be closing. i'm christie smith. we'll tell you how many coming up. some good signs for the market a day after the worst sell-off of the year. we'll take a look in business news. ♪

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welcome back now. the calm before the storm. clouds increasing, winds picking up. we've got a potent winter storm system on the way to the bay area. we'll time it out an let you know when the showers and thunderstorms are slated to arrive coming up. back to you guys. >> thank you very much, christina. fighting fires in contra costa county is about to get more difficult. a parcel tax that would have raised millions of dollars to keep fire stations open failed in the election even though a majority of voters wanted it.

christie smith is live in pleasant hill with more on what the election results mean for that county. christie, good morning. >> good morning to you, jon. it's funny how these elections work. 52% of the voters said yes to this parcel tax here in contra costa county but that wasn't enough because it needed a two-thirds majority to pass. what that means is that the fire district is looking at closing about nine of its 28 fire stations over the next few years. the board of supervisors put measure q on the ballot, hoping to rescue the struggling agency and generate about $17 million. some say the problem was negative feelings about firefighter pensions or just too many tax measures on the ballot altogether, but this is the second time that voters in contra costa county have said no to a fire agency. in june voters rejected a parcel tax in east contra costa county, the fire district there. measure q, homeowners were being

asked to pay $75 a year, $37.50 for condo owners and a tiered system for businesses in the area. now, the fire chief is sending out a warning saying that their response time is definitely going to get slower. the first four stations to close in january, we're told that no firefighters will be laid off because there are just so many vacancies still in this fire district. reporting live in pleasant hill, christie smith, "today in the bay." california voters have ushered in a new era in state politics not seen in more than 100 years. with all precincts counted, democrats are announced they have won a supermajority in both houses of california's legislature. two-thirds majority in the senate and assembly allows democrats to pass tax laws, budgets and other spending issues without any republican support. this marks the first time since 1883 that democrats have held a supermajority. now that voters have officially passed prop 30, college students will see those benefits almost immediately.

csu students will get a refund for the tuition increase they paid this semester and tuition costs will roll back even more in the spring. csu officials say they're still working out the details, but students can expect to get back about $250 of their fall tuition. in college, that's large dollars. meantime students at uc berkeley calling for tuition cuts of their own. students will rally today to demand prop 30 funds be used to reduce tuition and bring back programs and classes that were cut due to the funding. the rally coincides with the one-year anniversary of the occupy cal movement. students set to gather at 2:00 today for this event. 6:15. here's a quick check of the day's top stories. hotel guests at the embassy suites in burlingame had to be evacuated overnight after a carbon monoxide alarm went off around midnight. firefighters say a malfunctioning boiler likely caused the problem. oakland's former police chief starts his brand new job

this morning. he will be sworn in as the police commissioner in baltimore. he left the oakland force after clashing with mayor jean quan on department cuts. a san francisco women's group says it is planning to launch a campaign to recall sheriff ross mirkarimi. women for accountability say they will not tolerate a sheriff who's been convicted of domestic violence. mirkarimi was convicted earlier this year on charges stemming from an argument with his wife. the time is 6:16 right now. remember that man who caused so much trouble in the middle east with that anti-islamic you tu movie? he is in jail this morning. >> though not for what he did on youtube. >> that's right, for a probation violation. one year in jail for mark bacelli yousef. his low-budget video caused quite a bit of disruption across

the middle east. one of the actresses in the film this week filed new paperwork in her attempt to get youtube to remove that video. she's been unsuccessful at previous attempts. other news, speaker of the house john boehner has relaxed his opposition to tax reform to solve the budget crisis and avoid the fiscal cliff. while he offered no specifics, it was a sign after the election that republicans are ready to start negotiations. this comes a day after the worst loss on wall street so far this year. the dow plunged more than 300 points reacting to the election. not the election of mr. obama specifically but the concern that the two political parties would be too bitter to reach an agreement before the economy hits the cliff. there's less fear this morning thanks to speaker boehner. democrats want tax breaks for the rich to expire as a way to pay down the debt, republicans

don't. they would like tax breaks to expire for everybody or nobody. but this morning boehner said he'd be ready to talk about certain loopholes which may cause the rich to pay more. >> it will be an interesting year. >> even had a purple tie on which might be a blending of the red and the blue. >> really? >> we'll take any thing. 6:18 today. they call it black friday, which is supposed to be a good thing. but this year it's going to come earlier for walmart shoppers. >> they are opening its doors even before shoppers have polished off those turkey dinners. walmart also promising shoppers in line at a certain time in thanksgiving three hot meals for the holidays. holiday promotions will start at 8:00 on thursday night, that's two hours earlier than last year. it keeps creeping back. retailers have been experimenting in recent years with black friday specials, start to creep into thag. it's the trend that could

eventually replace black thursday with black thursday. i don't know. >> some places have those midnight shopping excursions so people jam in line at the wee hours. you are nodding your head. >> have you ever done that? >> i've never turned down a good sale and yes, i've done that in yuba city. good morning to you. temperatures are really comfortable out there. you'll need that heavy winter coat for the next couple days as we've got a storm system moving through the bay area. we're expecting showers and we'll time that out for you. you can see the clouds coming in ahead of the front that's slated to bring us pretty good rainfall and snowfall to the sierra nevada. so 21-mile-per-hour sustained wind speed nothing to joke about in oakland as you head over the bay bridge. you want to hold on to your steering wheel. could get caught by a stronger gust anywhere in the vicinity of 40 to 50 miles per hour as the system comes in. we've got a lot of instability

in our atmosphere. right now it's still located over eureka. as we've been progressing throughout the morning you can see it head south. we're expecting our first showers from santa rosa to novato. getting a little activity at 1:00 p.m. at 3:00 p.m. starting to get our first action here in the south bay. so once the front does start to come in, we'll see on and off showers. showers will linger tomorrow morning making for a slippery commute. mike and i will guide you through it. then we get a little break for the first part of friday. another wave of moisture comes through as we head through friday evening and finally we'll clear you the out saturday morning. once the sky is clear late saturday into sunday our focus shifts to the potential for frost. it's going to be very cold. temperatures near the freezing mark. 57 today in livermore, 58 by friday, holding on to the upper 50s. even into your saturday. sunday get ready for very cold

temperatures before you make your way out that front door. monday into tuesday we start to warm up. the sun comes back out and then by wednesday, 69 degrees, back to fall in the bay area. let's check on that drive. it's windy out there, mike. >> it is. a good note from you earlier. hold on tight, especially crossing the bay and over the east bay hills. you'll get gusts over the course of the morning. the drive is just fine but that b.a.r.t. station reported some delays. now b.a.r.t. updates and says 5 to 10 minute delays as you are leaving that equipment. that was much better than reported a half hour around. we're looking at a smooth drive down the peninsula. this construction from west 92 to north 101, that crew should be clearing as we speak and so there may be a little slowing although we see just a typy bit to register and that should clear quickly. further south we get a look at the palo alto camera.

a light volume holding stred st right here at university. we're looking at northbound headlights coming underneath the 680 interchange. slowing from tully up to 880. 87 slows down. we might have a new accident in downtown. meanwhile a quick check of fremont, southbound side picking up the volume. the dumbarton bridge down to this scene and north 880 through the oakland area, we have a disabled vehicle at the embarcadero off-ramp. back to you. 6:22. coming up, he's part of one of the most famous families in music history, so why does jermaine jackson want to change his name? and what does he want to be called instead? alright let's break it down.

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new this morning, with the election behind him president obama is heading to southeast asia. the white house confirming this morning the president will visit myanmar later this month. it would be the first-ever visit by a u.s. president. the obama administration wants to encourage the democratic progress in myanmar by easing sanctions against the country's military regime. 6:25 is the time. we check back in with meteorologist christina loren, who is reminding us it's crisp out there, very cool. >> it is crisp and cool. hopefully like some bacon you're enjoying with your coffee. temperatures are going to be cool. only breaking into the upper 50s inland. that goes for the bay and the coast as well.

pull out that jacket, you'll need your umbrella by noon. showers spreading to the south bay between 2:00 and 4:00. 6:26. let's check on your drive with mike. >> we see a pretty typical pattern, northbound 101 slows all the way up toward 880. north 87 as you come into downtown right at the 280 sbrarn interchange an accident. the build of the volume causing the slowdown for the entire stretch from kurtner into downtown. here's west 80, your commute direction underneath the university avenue overcrossing. there is the build but speeds fine once you get to the scene. it's just because of volume. back to you. jermaine jackson, or mr. jackson, he now wants to change his famous last name to i guess something a little brighter. >> he's asking a court to allow him to drop the letter o from jackson to the letter u.

he stated the switch was for artistic reasons. a friend speaking on his behalf said you've got to blame it on the sunshine in a play on the jackson's hit. >> is his hair painted on? >> i don't know. >> just throwing it out there. >> it's certainly slicked back. >> 6:27. still ahead, it is back to business. president obama leaves the campaign trail and heads out to capitol hill for hopefully a compromise. the deal that could keep the country from falling off that fiscal cliff. we'll have that ahead. live team coverage. what are you doing there?

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in just 15 minutes the light delicate layers add a layer of warmth to your next dinner. pillsbury grands biscuits let the making begin. well, fresh off its worst day of the year we have a live look at the opening bell on wall

street where markets will react to the framework of a deal, hoping to keep the country from falling off of that fiscal cliff. good morning, everybody. thanks for getting up early with us. i'm jon kelley. >> and i'm laura garcia-cannon. this morning there's no time to spare as congress and the obama administration try to work out a deal to avoid a series of tax hikes and hefty spending cuts by year's end. this morning team coverage of the fiscal cliff concerns. we'll begin with business and tech reporter scott mcgrew live in our newsroom with a look at the overnight reaction from the global markets. >> good morning to you, laura. deep concern on the markets, whether these two can come to an agreement. we saw as jon mentioned the worst day on the dow so far this year on wednesday. we have a live look at the nasdaq marketplace this morning one day after the sell-off there. it brought many asian markets lower. the world turned. by the time the sun came back

around and over to europe we had some hope. the greek parliament was able to hammer out its latest agreement. the british footsie closed higher in london. there's hope washington can get back to business after the long, bitter election and perhaps, laura an jon, that fiscal cliff can be avoided. >> scott, thank you very much. so the question is what exactly is this so-called fiscal cliff? and will president obama and congress be able to avoid it through some kind of compromise? for those answers and more, let's take it over to tracie potts. she is live on capitol hill this morning hopefully with some clear picture of what lies ahead. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. the fiscal cliff is something that can affect your family, something that can affect the federal budget and something that the folks here in washington need to deal with pretty quickly. essentially there are a number of things that are all expected to happen before the end of the year, all put together or considered this cliff.

long-term unemployment benefits especially in states with high unemployment, like california, expiring. the 2% payroll tax cut expiring. medicare payments to doctors and hospitals facing a major cut. the bush tax cuts, they go away january 1st without action. and automatic spending cuts including $500 billion to the pentagon. defense contractors already bracing for that one. so is there a spirit of compromise here? >> compromise is not a dirty word. i want to work together but i want everyone to also understand you can't push us around. >> i'm not suggesting we compromise on our principles, but i am suggesting that we commit ourselves to creating an atmosphere where we can see common ground, where it exists, and seize it. >> reporter: congress has got to do something to prevent that from happening at the end of the year. president obama has already been on the phone since the election with democratic and republican

leaders on both sides to try to get them all on one page. we'll be following it for you. live from washington, i'm tracie potts, "today in the bay." 6:33. some 3,000 inmates in jail under the three-strike law in california could soon be resentenced or released. proposition 36 was passed in tuesday's election. the measure is designed to make sure that life sentences are reserved for people who commit three serious or violent felonies. we talked to one co-author of the new law and a man who lost his daughter and fought against it. >> we were sending people away for life for stealing a loaf of bread, petty theft, simple drug possession. >> if they can see the train coming down the tracks, yet the guy only stole a loaf of bread or he, he -- he managed to get the purse away from the girl without putting a bullet in her head, then they're not going to be able to charge for three strikes. >> the amendment could save up to $100 million a year once that

law takes effect. well, the fugitive accused of killing a hercules woman inside of her home is expected to enter a plea this morning. that is darnell washington along with his wife, tania, are being charged with murder for the death of retired schoolteacher susie ko. investigators say that couple stole ko's car, then fled to washington state. darnell was extradited last month to face charges. tania is still being held in a washington jail. 6:34. chevron is laying out its plan to fix a richmond refinery damaged by massive fire in august. it will use chrome alloy to replace all the damaged pipes. chevron says the new pipes will fix the main problem that led to the fire, pipe corrosion. it hopes to get the repairs early next year and have the refine reback at 100%. the weather unfortunately packing another punch for states in the northeast. those still reeling from superstorm sandy. we have a live look at

rockefeller plaza in new york city where wind, snow and rain are expected in surrounding areas, just drenching communities that are already rearainire rearranged by hurricane sandy. several inches have fallen in connecticut making roads treacherous for drivers. more than 6 inches of snow now expected in parts of coastal new jersey and connecticut. new york may escape with less than 6 inches. coming up we have live team coverage in place of the nor'easter and how superstorm victims are trying to deal with this new round and latest round of bad weather. here in the bay area, we are expecting rain in our forecast. time to check in with meteorologist christina loren. >> good morning to you, jon and laura. starting with very gusty winds this morning ahead of the front which is still draped across the northernmost portion of the state. that front is starting to sag to the south and as it gets closer to us, our winds are picking up in san jose. west at 10 miles per hour,

sustained at 16 in livermore. 11 miles per hour in fairfield is strong enough to knock you around a little bit if you drive a high-profile vehicle. as we head throughout the day today, this is how it works out. this is what to expect when it comes to the rain and cold blasts. rain arrives between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. through tomorrow we'll see on and off showers continue, a few isolated thunderstorms as well. could see pea-size hail. then as we get through the latter portion of the weekend, we're talking about the potential for frost, so lots to go over in your full forecast. for today 58 inland, 56 bayside. grab that umbrella. if you are heading out that front door, before you get there, you want to check on that road with mike. good morning, folks. we're going to take you out here. i'm looking at the signs an on the northbound side with some headlights as well. we just founding out where the crew was on north 87.

this is coming right into do you knowtown. this makes it a little tough for us to see and it's starting in the northbound direction really compressing. still a distraction coming in through the downtown area. 101 and 85 in the northbound directions also show good slowing and we'll expect 280 to follow suit in the next 20 minutes or so. we'll also show you how things are shaping up. north 880 past the coliseum, a nice steady flow. it looks like traffic flowing into downtown is oak right now. back to you. 6:37 right now. still ahead, a deadly collapse. wind gusts sending scaffolding flying during a concert at a south african stadium. we'll tell you what the american rock band is saying about safety at their shows. we'll have that just ahead. plus hotel guests forced from their beds as a hotel is

evacuated overnight. the latest just ahead. ♪

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one person dead and 19 others hurt from a scaffolding collapsed at a concert in south africa. a strong gust of wind blew over a promotional billboard just before the rock band took the stage last night. a total of 12 people were

hospitalized and this morning several people still being treated. this accident remains under ves. 6:41. crews in guatemala are searching for survivors after a powerful earth wake and left dozens others missing. it shook buildings from mexico city to san salvador. since then there have been dozens of aftershocks, four of them over magtude 5. the quake struck about 100 miles from guatemala city. right now it is 6:41. coming up, everybody out. a nine-story hotel evacuated as alarms force guests from their beds out into the cold morning. we are live with the latest on the investigation just ahead. we'll check wall street a day after the worst day of the year and big changes coming to starbucks as well. plus a 1-2 punch in the northeast. the second storm after sandy dumping snow and rain in areas that have already taken a

beating. we've got live team coverage coming up. . right now we give you a beautiful shot with some clouds over foster city right now. christina loren will come back and talk about the weather. [ boy 1 ] hey! that's the last crescent.

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good thursday morning to you. the time 6:44. dark clouds starting to move into the south bay, expecting showers and thunderstorms, even low snow levels in the bay area. we'll time it out in your area coming up. back to you. the states recovering from superstorm sandy walloped again by wind, rain and now snow. marla tellez joins us with a look at the latest storm to pack a punch in the northeast. >> reporter: laura, good morning. first it was sandy, now it's athena and she is a force to be

reckoned with in her own right. new yorkers this morning waking up to this, snow-covered cars, downed power lines and road crew that say certainly have their work cut out for them. this nor'easter crippling cities up and down the eastern seaboard all over again. hundreds of thousands of people who just got their power back are without it one more time. 400,000 homes in new jersey, for instance, are in the dark. 20,000 of those are new outages. from massachusetts, where 8 inches of snow has fallen, to connecticut, rhode island, to long island where many can't even get gas because shipments have been delayed. this post sandy storm is adding insult to injury. >> we're kind of laughing about it at this point. it's kind of unbelievable to go from a hurricane to a nor'easter driving in the snow in the same ten days. it's pretty unbelievable. >> reporter: so unbelievable that many people, those ho can get out have left their homes

until power and water can be restored. much of air travel is paralyzed at the major airports and this is causing some cancellations right here in the bay area, specifically at sfo where some arriving flights from jfk, newark and philadelphia will not be arriving today. so far, though, there's just one departing flight bound for the big apple that's been cancelled. best to check with your airline if you have east coast travel plans. for a live look at the effects of the storm right now, we want to check in with danielle leigh who is live for us in trenton, new jersey. danielle, you're still smiling. >> reporter: good morning, mar lach la. yes, i'm smiling but it's cold. take a look behind me, there's a downed tree. it likely fell right in the heart of this storm when we were getting pelted with pretty big snowflakes. this is the last thing that the hundreds of thousands of people recovering from sandy needed. when you look at it in the height of this storm, the winds, the rain, the snow that came down on the northeast, it was

pretty miserable for a lot of people. more than 100,000 people lost power. many of them had just gotten their power restored and it was so cold last night some of them had to seek shelter elsewhere. the situation is leaving many of them desperate. >> it's overwhelming. >> it's very sad. very sad to see it's getting pounded again. >> it's a little insult to injury, but that's mother nature. >> it's cold! very cold. you sleep at night with blankets and socks and everything else on and it's just horrible. >> reporter: and for crews working on this recovery around the clock really, this was a setback that they did not need. we saw more damage because of this storm. more downed power lines, more downed trees like the one behind me. it's just going to take them that much longer to clean up. we're starting to see people walk around and they're starting to say that they're holding on to the forecast that it is going to warm up and dry out because they are ready for a break.

i'm danielle leigh, back to you. >> reporter: let's hope that that silver lining around that dark cloud, that the weather will clear up. thank you, danielle. jon and laura. >> meantime in, our neck of the woods, a change. >> yes, a change in that ridge of high pressure that brought our temperatures toward record levels. it's moving over to the northeast and that is going to warm us up. so there is some light at the end of a very dark tunnel. you can see all the spotty clouds associated with that counter clockwise pro takrotati. that's an indication of a very, very cold air mass. old man winter dropping in the bay area and the winds are picking up ahead of this front. you can see sierra nevada starting to get a little bit of snowfall. so winds are going to be a factor for the first part of the day. it's going to make your temperatures which are in the 50s feel even cooler, so you'll need that coat and the umbrella for today. west-southwest winds sustained at 16 miles per hour in livermore.

we're picking up in san jose as the system drops to the south. we stop the clock right at noon and you can see starting to get some showers north of the golden gate bridge from san francisco up to santa rosa. the rain will be active. as we head through the second half of the day we stop the clock at 2:00 p.m. starting to get some action in the south bay. as we head through tonight and into tomorrow, on and off showers and we get a dry break from 4:00 a.m. to about noon. then another wave of moisture comes through as we head through friday night. by saturday morning starting to clear out but that's when the really cold blast settles in and we're watching for the potential of frost when you wake up on sunday morning so things are going to change. it all works out like this. if you're heading to tahoe, it's going to be very dangerous up there. we could pick up a foot of fresh powder above 7,000 feet which is great news for you skiers and snowboarders. 57 in livermore, 58 in fremont.

temperatures hold on to the upper 50s friday into saturday. we'll clear out on saturday. this is what i want to point out to everybody. the agricultural interest, as you know, the south bay in particular was founded on the ag land and we've got some frosty conditions developing very quickly around here. so you want to make sure you stay tuned to the forecast but right now it does look like subfreezing temperatures throughout the interior valleys on sunday morning. really hard to get considering we almost broke all-time record highs for this month just a couple days ago. 6:50. let's check on your drive. >> remember those ag interests because i'm the son of a farmer and grandson of a farmer. so a lot of family doing that right now. north 101 slows here and so does 85. look at 87, we have this big jam from 85 all the way up past capital an into downtown. the earlier accident has cleared the roadway but that was enough to start the backup and it ripples back because of the build that just continues for the south bay.

we're looking at the east bay as well. south 880 slow out of san leandro through hayward and now heading down from fremont into milpitas. into fremont we so slowing through the sunol grade. visibility is a lot better today than it was yesterday. 24 moves smoothly, no accidents there. down the east shore freeway to the bay bridge. live look outside, the east shore freeway, you're still close to a good flow of traffic but down into the 30s and 20s as you get off that merge and smoother through berkeley as you get to the berkeley curve. as we look at the golden gate bridge, a remiles per honderemi more delays for the b.a.r.t. system. back to you. evacuation orders lifted for hundreds of guests at a packed hotel on the peninsula. guests at the embassy suites in burlingame were told to leave after a carbon monoxide scare overnight. that's where bob redell is live this morning where firefighters

think they have found the source of the problem. bob. >> reporter: yeah, they shut it off and everything is back to normal at the embassy suites hotel near sfo. the danger is over, laura, and those guests are back in their room. the fire department, hazmat and the public health department evacuated everyone in this hotel a little bit after 1:00 this morning. we're talking about 400 to 500 people. this after dangerous levels of carbon monoxide were detected in parts of the hotel. what makes co so dangerous is that it's colorless, odorless and can kill you and can only be detected with an air sampler. the fire department was able to trace the source to a malfunctioning boiler inside the hotel. they turned it off while guests turned it -- waited to get pack into the rooms. >> i was in one of the hand capped rooms where they talk to you. get out of bed. i got up thinking it was a prank and looking around for hoodlums

to stir up and give some grief. i looked outside and saw there was first responders with flashlights shining at us, like get out of the building kid of thing. that's when i decided to evacuate. >> reporter: no one was hurt, no one got sick. what's not clear is how the fire department knew how to test for co when they first responded. was it a co alarm going off or was this related to a medical call they incidentally responded to at this hotel earlier in the evening. bob redell, "today in the bay." employees of a fresno chicken processing plant returning to work for the first time since a deadly mass shooting on tuesday. police say 42-year-old lawrence jones opened fire on four co-workers at the valley protein company, killing two and wounding two others. jones later shot himself in the head. one victim remains hospitalized this morning in critical condition. the other was treated and released. police are right now trying to

determine a motive. several fire stations in contra costa county are facing closure after tuesday's election. voters rejected a partial tax that would have kept the stations open. christie smith joins us live in pleasant hill with more. good morning. >> reporter: good morning to you, laura. you know, this is actually the second time this year that voters have said no to a parcel tax for a fire protection district in contra costa county. actually a majority of voters were in support of measure q. unfortunately, it wasn't enough because it needed a two-thirds majority to pass. 52.5% of voters said yes. 47.5% said no. this may be tied to negative feelings about firefighter pensions, the high threshold of approval and high number of tax measures on that ballot on tuesday. measure q was a temporary fire safety parcel tax in the contra costa fire district and would have generated about $17 million a year. the fire district says without it they may have to close 10 of 28 stations over the next few

years. it's not clear which ones. it would have cost homeowners about $75 a year and the fire chief is warning that response times will drop because of this. in east county, voters turned down a parcel tax in june. in january, the first four stations will close, but we're told that no firefighters will be laid off. reporting life in pleasant hill, christie smith, "today in the bay." it is 6:55. for all the early risers, sometimes you need a little boost. coffee, cocoa, latte. you know at starbucks, you don't even have to reach in your wallet this morning. good morning to you. they're not free but it's new technology at 7:00 starbucks. it's developed by san francisco's square. it's going to sense your iphone and charge you for your coffee automatically. so if you have this app on your phone. you walk in and order your iced pepper mint white chocolate mocha tall, the money will be

deducted right from your account. they will know your name when you walk in because your iphone signal will tell them. they can even start on that coffee before you get to the front of the line. checking the markets this morning, one day after the worst sink on the dow, we've got kids on the nasdaq, that's a good sign. nasdaq is up as is the dow industrials 25 points. we continue, jon, to watch apple. apple is down again. it's officially in bear territory this morning, down about another $2 a share. >> interesting. >> apple, the world according to apple. 6:56. chick-fil-a is opening a brand new chain in the east bay. people have been camping out there near the corner of north main street. they're trying to get things going. they're out there for free food. they're vying to be the first 100 customers to win a free meal each week for an entire year. protesters also expected to welcome the fast food chain. they are upset over the stance of chick-fil-a's owner on gay

marriage. 6:57. a puppy stolen from the san francisco spca last month has been found safe and has a new home. violet, a terrier mix, was spotted in the hayes valley neighborhood on friday by an adoption center employee. the employee called police, who came and arrested the woman with the dog. the spca says the puppy is healthy and already has a new home. she's living with a couple that was interested in adopting her before she disappeared. >> 6:57. let's get a final check on the weather from christina loren. >> good morning to you. we've got a really good-looking day shaping up for the first part of the day. it's going to be nice and mild, temperatures in the mid-50s. only expected to break into the upper 50s inland. 58 degrees, 57 bayside, at the coast 56. what to expect when it comes to this storm. winds are going to pick up as we head throughout the morning hours. gusty conditions for your commute. rain arrives between 11:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. as we head through your friday,

on and off showers continue. we get a few isolated thunderstorms. then saturday, cold, cloudy weather. by sunday subfreezing temperatures could bring us our first frost of the season. we will keep you updated right here on "today in the bay." let's check that drive with mike inouye. >> we're looking over here at northbound 101, capital up toward the airport, very slow. 87 recovers from an earlier accident. 85 simply has a big burst of traffic which it almost always has and 280 getting worse. a new accident at wolf in the two middle lanes is causing a big backup. use stevens creek or homestead to get around the scene and get back on maybe past lawrence. outside as far as the volume of traffic starting to build southbound 101 along the peninsula, some slowing from menlo park into palo alto. that's pretty typical on this side of the bay. other side of the bay we're looking at fremont. southbound side starting to slow down as you head down toward mission. here we are just north of the

tesla plant. pretty standard here as well. 6:fwiechb59. a suspect charged with murder of a hercules woman expected to enter a plea this morning. prosecutors say darnell washington and his wife, tania, murdered susie ko and stole her car and fled to seattle. tania is awaiting extradition. the man who pleaded guilty to shooting congresswoman gabby gifrs will be sentenced. jared loughner will receive a life sentence without the possibility of parole. millions of people in the northeast weathering another brutal storm. several cities already have been hit with high wind, heavy rain and some snow. you can see it there. at least 1500 flights to that region have been cancelled. the "today" show will be along with the latest on the storm's movement coming up in a few moments. stay with nbc bay area. we have a storm headed our way. we'll have a local news update at 7:24. >> have a great day. see you tomorrow.